If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Welcome to CycloneFanatic.com. I notice you haven't taken the time to register yet, now is as good of time as any:)

Re:Updated line up info

I honestly really like the idea of starting a dual finch Meeks goettl and McCauley

I wish Moreno could go 57 again but I don't think the cut agrees with him. I'd like to not have Moreno and tanner at the same weight from a team standpoint. But tanner at 74 doesn't leave any room for England.

Re: Updated line up info

Originally Posted by Cycsk

How does next year look compared to this year?

Losing Spangler is going to cost us a lot of points at NCAAs. But the biggest difference between this lineup and last years is the lack of holes. We will be a vastly improved dual meet team at the very least.

Re: Updated line up info

Originally Posted by Judoka

Losing Spangler is going to cost us a lot of points at NCAAs. But the biggest difference between this lineup and last years is the lack of holes. We will be a vastly improved dual meet team at the very least.

If he could stay healhty enough to make it to NCAA's, that would be true. But with his history, it's likely he would start the season healthy and then become injured or get a concussion at some point, and then the team would be left scrambling trying to fill the spot. Now someone else can get mat experience during the course of the season and potentially make an impact at NCAA's.

Re: Updated line up info

Originally Posted by Cycsk

How does next year look compared to this year?

There are some continuing question marks, but is more experience and should be better depth.

Two guys penciled in above with health concerns include Trent Weatherman at 157 and Kyven Gadson at 197. Trent suffered a concussion in the first match last season, and was out all year. Kyven wrestled just once and re-injured a shoulder that was first injured in high school. (His other shoulder kept him from wrestling in college until that match.) So he was also out all season. Trent was a sophomore last year, and Kyven was a redshirt freshman. With any luck, if both of these guys are healthy and strong when they come back, it will help a lot.

Trent started as a true freshman the year before. He struggled with college level, as freshmen tend to do, and wanted to compete at a higher level last year, more like he did in high school, but didn't get the chance.

As I recall, Kyven wasn't quite as highly touted in the rankings out high school as Meeks and McCauley, two true freshmen penciled in above at 133 and 149. But he has similar potential, and competed at the highest level in freestyle out of high school.

But we are talking some pretty serious injuries, so there is kind of question mark at both spots IMO, until we see them back, racking up some wins on the mat.

Another wildcard is whether new assistant Troy Nickerson can translate his experience and help improve performance in the lower weights.

Nickerson was a 5-time NY state champion, a national champion in college (2nd as a true freshman), and a 4-time high All-American at 125 (despite injury), and competed at the recent Olympic trials. He is coaching now instead of going to medical school, and is currently one of the very best in competition so that should help some in the room.

Finch at 125 and Goettl at 141 both had decent seasons last year as redshirt freshmen and are experienced veterans now.

With Meeks at 133 and McCauley at 149, again is hard to tell with true freshmen. But Meeks was a 4-time undefeated state champion at Des Moines Roosevelt, and I think McCauley was the nation's first or second-ranked recruit at any weight class, before he took a year off to train at the OTC. McCauley also has a solid year now on the freestyle circuit, and is a current junior national champion.

As to the other weights:

Tanner Weatherman at 165 will be a redshirt freshman (I think Trent's cousin), who people expect big things from. Mikey England at 174 started some last year as a redshirt freshman and had a couple of big wins as I recall. Of course there are a couple of strong coaches in the room around that weight. Beard at 184 as a redshirt sophomore, Gibson as a redshirt junior at HWT, started pretty much all year I think, and should both be realistically looking to AA this year. I think HWT is pretty stacked though, with a lot of returning guys, and it won't help that Big Z won't be in the room next year. Gibson improved last year though, as the year progressed, so the prospects are good if he continues to.

Obviously everyone should expect better performance, and there is reason why that is a reasonable expectation. It is not just that last year the team performance was so low (as it was), but that guys should get better, and we have some solid guys coming in.

Re: Updated line up info

Still have Iowa, Minnesota, Oklahoma State who were young and bring back loads of talent. Also Oklahoma picks up Howe and Rutt and will be improved. I think we will be more competitive, but not sure on wins and losses until I see a schedule. We wrestle the toughest schedule in the country, so hard to go by wins and loses in a season to measure success

Re: Updated line up info

So how many meets will we be looking to win next season with this better team? A question which is similarly asked about the football team.

I don't know enough to answer that.

It is also different in wrestling than football in that competition is on an individual by individual basis. You have to consider the individual matchups, which aren't even determined yet, and have question marks as I have pointed out. It is also possible that a team places high at the national tournament, because of a few guys who finish very high, and does far less well in dual competition, because of weak spots or injuries in the lineup. There aren't a lot of scholarships. Unlike football, you can't just plug another person in if you don't have someone at that weight. You have to weigh a certain weight.

It is a valid question, but not as easy to gauge as a team competition, where you compete together on the field as a team, like football.

Maybe you can go some by individual rankings as the season gears up, which is quite a ways off. They will be assigning people to individual weights and basing the rankings on past performance (or projected, for true freshmen and relatively inexperienced college wrestlers).

Personally, I would have to see how the season progresses some before making that kind of guess. In the starting lineup projected here, next year, there are 3 freshmen, 4 sophomores, 2 juniors, and 1 senior. I am not sure about the other teams. There are also 4 solid performers with health issues or who are true freshmen, with potentially a large variation between expected or best case, versus actual. I don't have a crystal ball.

People who are not that familiar with the sport might want predictions, like for the football team, but need to appreciate some differences in scoring and how the competition is conducted, in order to make informed predictions. I'd try to familiarize myself with the names and individual performances of ISU wrestlers, and some of the top performers on competing teams, and then see how the teams match up as the meets approach. You can probably do that as well as anyone, Wesley, and I would certainly encourage you to. I'd also encourage you to visit the other board, Wesley, and get more information there. Even ask your question there. The percentage of knowledgeable fans is relatively higher. Bringing information to the table can be a time consuming task, and everyone has other important things to do, so there is some personal responsibility here as well.

I appreciate all that buf87, Judoka, and others do here. But please consider the difference in a few on this board providing information for 100s or 1000s of others, versus many fewer highly knowledgeable fans posting among themselves. It can be a high, often unappreciated burden, though it is somewhat just the nature of differences between the boards (and between sports).

Team performance aside, again, I would just start with learning and following the Iowa State names and individual performances from one meet to the next.

Team scores are kept but performance on the mat is mostly an individual matter.

All content owned by CycloneFanatic.com - All rights reserved 2005-09. By viewing this website you agree to the Terms of Service, Site Rules and Legal Disclaimer. The words, views, images and opinions expressed or provided by users do not reflect the opinions or views of CycloneFanatic.com or Iowa State University. The names, words, symbols, and graphics representing Iowa State University are trademarks and copyrights of the University protected by the trademark and copyright laws of the United States of America and other countries and are used on this web site under license from the University. Original site design, premise & construction by Jeremy Lind.